Mike Greenlar / The Post StandardcSyracuse Crunch forward Derek MacKenzie, right, digs for the puck in the corner against Binghamton's Ryan Keller during Saturday's Mirabito Outdoor Classic at the State Fairgrounds.
The Syracuse Crunch skated into town 16 years ago with the promise of big things right around the corner and even grander visions just down the street.
That cycle has whirred almost non-stop through a never-ending loop of mostly hits and some misses. Sunday afternoon, with the wake of the team’s biggest splash still washing in satisfaction and congratulations, team owner Howard Dolgon finally jumped off the treadmill and landed on a couch.
Hours after his organization put on the first outdoor game in AHL history, Dolgon was asked the question that he so often poses to others: what’s the next bigger, better deal? His answer was as uncharacteristic as team enforcer Jon Mirasty ducking a fight.
“We’re going to take this in, enjoy it,” Dolgon said. “It’s like a boxer, when he wins a championship, doesn’t plan his next bout the next day.”
Does that mean the Crunch is the AHL’s promotional heavyweight champ?
“I think we took the belt home last night,” Dolgon said while relaxing in a T-shirt and jeans in the living room of his Syracuse hotel suite. “I think there were a lot of champions, our staff, the fans, our corporate sponsors.”
The all-time AHL paid attendance record of 21,508 who saw Syracuse beat Binghamton 2-1 at the State Fairgrounds makes it hard to argue the point. Still, Dolgon is a business shark, and sharks either keep moving forward or perish.
Here’s a rundown of some of the spinoffs from what almost everyone agrees was a smash hit:

Will the Crunch host another outdoor game?:

There are two lines of thinking on this. Since the team proved it can pull it off, why not do more? But the appeal of the event is its novelty, and repeated outdoor Crunch games would have a hard time measuring up to the one Dolgon and team VP Jim Sarosy pulled off in their first kick at the can.

After the game, an elated New York State Sen. Charles Schumer virtually mugged Dolgon and shouted that this game has to be done every year. Dolgon responded that he’s a man of his word and that he can’t make that promise right now.

“We’ve got to talk about more stuff,” Dolgon said. “We’ll see, whether its an outdoor game or something else.”

What might that something else be?:

A game in Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome. Dolgon and SU director of athletics Daryl Gross are big fans of the way the other does business. Dolgon was moving towards playing in the Dome this year if the outdoor game didn’t jump to the head of the line.

Dolgon has spoken of building a rink in the center of the Dome and then implementing a less expensive ticket price structure that would allow the team to smash the attendance record it just set.

Will other AHL teams be encouraged to attempt an outdoor game?:

Dolgon: “I haven’t heard of any other teams trying it. But I think other teams will be encouraged. A lot of parts have to fit.

“I can’t tell you about the other markets. But in order for this to be successful, you have to have the right facility, and the right deal with the facility. And you need to have the right corporate support to bring in. You need a fan base and a community that responds to big events. That’s the one thing we knew, based on the success (SU) has had, this community can create and support a big event.”
AHL president Dave Andrews: “I think there’s a better chance someone will do it because Howard has the template. They (the Crunch) will be able to hand someone the file, say, ‘Here’s what it costs.’

“Having said that, I still don’t know how many teams would step outside their normal paradigm to put on an event like this. I think Howard is, in some ways, more driven to achieve events like this than anyone in this league. He has a lot of vision. He doesn’t have a lot of fear. This was a huge risk.”

Did the game make dollars and sense?

Dolgon said from the start that if he was looking to make money, he could think of a lot better ways to do it than back this game. As it turns out, though, it’s likely that Syracuse will be a winner at the bank.

It will be a few weeks before the Crunch has final numbers on its revenues and expenses. But strong showings at the gate and with corporate sponsorship could push total revenues toward $1 million.

The original cost of the game was expected to run about $900,000, with about $400,000 coming from sponsors and maybe $500,000 from the Crunch’s pocket. The Crunch share of that has grew significantly as it added special sidelights and pumped up things like VIP parties. That still leaves a lot of room for Syracuse to scarf up a six-figure profit.

“Every team wants to turn a profit. It’s good for the fans,” Dolgon said.

What happens to the rink?

It will be nothing more than a memory within several days.

Sunday, it hosted its last official event, a pond hockey tournament. Sarosy and his staff began cleaning out the office and locker room areas.

Today, work will begin on taking down the glass and the dasher boards. Then the ice and the ice-making equipment will be cleared out.

Finally, the gravel base will be pounded apart and removed. The overall timetable depends upon the weather.

“This was a very special and historic event. You put so much effort into this,” Sarosy said. “I understood the rink would not be here forever. It’s sad to see the beginning part of it get dismantled. Then you go to work and do what you have to do.”